STEPHEN R.

SOUTHERN
35785 Huron River Drive • New Boston, MI 48164 • (C) 313.999.7971 • stevesouthern@live.com

SALES DIRECTOR

DELIVERING BREAKTHROUGH SALES & FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS

WORLDWIDE BY DEVELOPING CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS, SLASHING EXPENSES & CREATING NEW
REVENUE STREAMS TO DELIVER SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE GROWTH.

Senior Sales Director with more than 20 years of experience expanding cardinal relationships, driving
revenue growth and expanding sales channels in the automotive supplier industry. Track record of
achieving hard-edged business results by driving major projects, programs and initiatives from planning
through tactical execution. True customer advocate, inspirational leader and builder of long-standing,
collaborative relationships. Outstanding account management, organizational, team building, leadership
and communication skills.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE INCLUDE

• Business Development • Account Acquisition • Strategic Planning

• Account Expansion • Client Relations • Account Management
• Contract Negotiations • Post-Sales Support • P&L Oversight
• Staff Management • Quality Control • Open Issues Management

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & ACHIEVEMENTS

MERIDIAN AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, INC., Allen Park, MI 2001-2009

Plastics company specializing in the manufacturing of compression and injection molded components
for the automotive industry with $1.1B in annual sales and up to 3,500 employees worldwide.
Business Unit Director —Chrysler
Revitalized sales for the organization’s second largest OEM client reversing a record of declining sales.
Restored client confidence and strengthened portfolio products and services. Spearheaded strategic
program development, led new business initiatives and optimized existing program performance.
Oversaw budget of $5M and led a team of five direct reports.
• Increased Chrysler account from $55M to $120M in annual sales in just eight years.
• Organized quote package for 2011 Wrangler hardtop business that received more than $50M in
tool and purchase orders in 2009.
• Instrumental in avoiding financial losses in the Chrysler Chapter 11 settlement by maintaining
close oversight of Chrysler’s open issues.
• Recognized for leading department’s collection of $2M in tooling charges written off as
“uncollectable” by streamlining the invoicing and billing process.
• Implemented cost savings initiatives through the Chrysler Value Analysis program while
maintaining profitable margins. Earned five “Chrysler Gold” awards for cost savings results.

JL FRENCH AUTOMOTIVE CASTINGS, INC., Sheboygan, WI 1986-2001

Provider of high level assemblies of aluminum die castings for the automotive industry with $650M in
annual sales and 1,600 employees in Europe and North America.
Manager, Worldwide Sales
Executive Management role accountable for driving sales efforts through profitable, high volume
programs in more than 10 plants located throughout the US, Mexico and Europe. Managed customer
 STEPHEN R. SOUTHERN —Page 2
(C) 313.999.7971 • stevesouthern@live.com

JL FRENCH AUTOMOTIVE CASTINGS, INC., Continued

plant quality liaison initiatives. Oversaw budget of $10M and spearheaded all VA/VE efforts for Ford,
the company’s largest account. Directed sales and engineering staff of twenty professionals located in
the US, Mexico, Japan, UK, Spain and Germany.
• Led aggressive revenue growth from $60M to $650M in just 15 years.
• Captured more than $120M in new business in the first 14 months of operations by integrating
disparate personnel, systems and technology from several European acquisition companies to
create cohesive business structure and leadership teams.
• Launched new transmission case business program generating $50M in new sales in less than
one year. Captured an additional $54M in annual sales from the competition.
• Credited with French achieving “Top Performance” status in SPECs for all North American
suppliers as a result of strategic VA/VE efforts. Instrumental in gaining “Preferred Supplier”
status by Ford, while maintaining profitable margins, reducing Ford’s costs and optimizing
overall account profitability.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: Madison Kipp Corporation, Sales Engineer; Central Foundry Division of
General Motors, General Foreman Melting, Manager Industrial Engineering, General Supervisor Quality
Control, Project Engineer & Supervisor of Quality Control. Highlights:
• Increased suggestion plan participation from 10% to 90% resulting in plant expense reduction.
• Eliminated more than 100 direct labor jobs without reducing productivity or sacrificing quality.
• Improved customer scrap levels by 20% while providing product cost and weight savings.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION

BS, Electrical Engineering, Tri-State University, Angola, IN

Certification: Specialty Aluminum Alloys, SAE; Managing Managers, GM Education; Negotiation
Specialist, GM Education

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